The Tennessee Volunteers hope the power of preparation trumps the power of a proper night’s rest.
The No. 9 ranked Volunteers were afforded a couple extra days of practice but will travel and play the No. 4 LSU Tigers all in one day. That's because the SEC pushed their game back two days on fears Hurricane Rita would wreak havoc on Louisiana when it came through Friday.
UT made the most of the extra time, practicing for over an hour Friday and then working out in shoulder pads Saturday before going through a final walkthrough Sunday afternoon.
However, the schedule change did disrupt Tennessee’s travel plans and the Volunteers will now travel and play today. The Volunteers didn't leave Sunday for fear of causing any extra problems for the city of Baton Rouge, which is already over-extended housing victims from Hurricane Katrina.
“I'm looking at it as much more of a positive because it does give us a chance to have a couple of extra days to get ready for an outstanding football team,” said Tennessee coach Phillip Fulmer. “I think, in the end, the right decision was made, we weren't going to put our kids at risk at all and I'm glad there was a settlement we can live with.”
But despite the situation, oddsmakers still have the Volunteers as 6 1/2-point underdogs since betting openend Sunday.
“I don’t see it really being a big deal actually,” says Randy Stafford of betCRIS.com. “These problems are going to affect LSU just as much as Tennessee and these kids are going to be up for this game.”
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